Chapter 3

aug '12 - nov '14

Chapter three begins in August of 2012, when the stars aligned and I had the sudden and unexpected opportunity to move from Seattle to Nashville, TN. Feeling like I was hitting a plateau in the Pacific Northwest, creatively and professionally, and feeling the need for a new challenge, I made the decision to move to Nashville. Less than one week later, I had packed an entire house + studio and was on the road driving across the country to a city where I knew no one. The building that formerly hosted Soundshop Recording Studios, located at 1307 Division St, became my new home (quite literally at first!), and I set up shop right on music row with the new venture I called Destiny Nashville.

The next couple years were spent diving head first into the Nashville music community, working around the clock to build relationships in town and continue to develop my craft as a producer/engineer and songwriter. It was incredible being pushed and challenged by my peers here, who are so much more talented than I am. I heard one of my favorite quotes at an industry panel, where Mike Dungan, Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville spoke. "Moving to Nashville is like playing basketball with your older brother and his friends - you either quit, or you get really good, really fast."

Being a tiny, nameless fish in this ocean of insanely talented musicians, songwriters, producers, and artists was overwhelming for sure, but instead of dwelling on the negative, I channeled that as passion, and used it as fuel to drive me to work harder than ever before to keep learning, growing, and to get a little better every day. I've been so fortunate not to compete against these other individuals, but to instead learn from them and now call many of them some of my closest friends.

Those first couple years in Nashville were challenging, but incredible. Being so far from family, working long hours on caffeinated energy and little sleep until I was physically ill, but I grew in ways I never thought possible. I was working with Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum artists, and writing/producing the best music I had ever been a part of. Things seemed to be on a gradual incline with no signs of slowing down.. until on day, my beloved studio home fell victim, like many others on Music Row, to be sold to a developer, only to be torn down and turned into condos. In November of 2014, I called in my A-Team of Nashville studio musicians (and some of my best friends), to be a part of the last ever recording session at 1307 Division St. Shortly thereafter, all my gear was moved out and Soundshop Recording Studios, once home to recording sessions of Brooks & Dunn, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Amy Grant, Paul McCartney, and many more, was nothing more than a pile of dust at the end of Music Row.